F1 Results Today: Max Verstappen sends Red Bull warning as McLaren star flails in Abu Dhabi

Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri edited onto a background of the UAE flag — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

F1 Results Today: Max Verstappen sends Red Bull warning as McLaren star flails in Abu Dhabi

The times and details from the second hour of practice in Abu Dhabi.

By Kerry Violet.

Friday 5 December 2025 15:39

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has warned Red Bull that he is missing serious race pace in Abu Dhabi as Oscar Piastri also struggled with McLaren in FP2.

Championship leader Lando Norris continued on imperious form in the second hour of practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, finishing top of the order ahead of Verstappen, whilst Piastri was all the way down in P11.

The Australian missed out on the first practice session after Pato O'Ward had taken his McLaren out around the Yas Marina Circuit as part of a rookie driver swap in FP1.

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Ahead of Friday's second practice, changes were made to Piastri's setup, but he struggled to find a balance he was happy with at the wheel of the MCL39 and suffered a huge lockup at Turn 6 in the closing stages of practice, which cost him on his second flying run.

Verstappen also spent a lot of FP2 complaining of bouncing and a severe lack of race pace in the RB21, a worrying statement considering he is still in the mix for the championship.

Elsewhere in FP2, Mercedes star George Russell featured in the top three-fastest drivers whilst Ollie Bearman and Nico Hulkenberg made a surprise appearance in the top five.

Position	Driver	Team	Gap
1	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:23.083
2	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.363sec
3	George Russell	Mercedes	+0.379sec
4	Oliver Bearman	Haas	+0.418sec
5	Nico Hulkenberg	Kick Sauber	+0.467sec
6	Gabriel Bortoleto	Kick Sauber	+0.487sec
7	Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	+0.574sec
8	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.575sec
9	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	+0.625sec
10	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+0.667sec
11	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.680sec
12	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+0.749sec
13	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+0.789sec
14	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0.856sec
15	Alex Albon	Williams	+0.867sec
16	Esteban Ocon	Haas	+0.875sec
17	Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	+1.220sec
18	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+1.391sec
19	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+1.688sec
20	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+1.880sec

Who is the reigning F1 world champion?

Max Verstappen is the reigning F1 champion, and won his fourth drivers' championship last year.

Is there more F1 practice today?

No, the practice sessions have concluded for today but FP3 will kick off on Saturday morning before the vital qualifying later that day. Click here to find out what time the final practice session of the year is on where you are.

FP1 RESULTS: Lando Norris lands early blow as Red Bull cracks appear at Abu Dhabi GP

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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